Quick-break switch.



. K4. SUTHERLND. QUICK' snr-:AK swCHe APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29.1918.

aented D90. 24, 19%.

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UNITED STATE-s PATENT onirica.

'4 .AIT EXANDER K. SUTHERLAND, NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO `-THIE TRUMBULL ELECTRIC CO., OF PLAINVILLE, CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

' Application filed March 29, 1918.

I Il o all lwlw/n, it lmay concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER K. SUTH- Batam;7 a subject of the King of England,

residing at New Britain, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful QuiclcBreak Switch, of which the following is a speci fication.

My present invention relates to what are known as quick break switches, and the bjects of the invention primarily are to provide simple and eifective means for securnga quick break in switches of the double-throw typ-e, such as A. C. motor starting switches, 'reversing switches, and the like.

Special objects of the invention are to prevent the quick break operating means for the switch movement at one side from interfering 4with the quick break mechanism for the reverse switch movement, and to thus insure a proper quick break action no matter which way the switch is operated.

These objects I have accomplished by thel provision of circuit-breaking springs at the opposite sides of the reversely operable switch member, and the provision of a lost motion connection between4 a switch operating handle and the movable switchI element.

Other features of the. invention and the details ofl construction will appear as the sition.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the Switch takensubstantially on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view showing the switch rocked forwardly to establish one Set of circuit conditions.

Fig. ai. is another view of this character showing the switch as being rocked in the reverse direction to establish a diiferent setof circuit conditions.

The switch with which I have chosen to Quick-:BREAK SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 24, 1.918.

Serial No. 225,448.

of a type now alternating curillustrate the invention is generally used for starting rent motors, the movable element of the switch consisting of three parallel switch blades 5 pivotall)Y supported at G' and arranged when rocked in one direction to make contact with the switch clips 7, and when rocked in the reverse direction to make contact with a set of switch clips 8, these contacts and the circuit arrangements being such as to give the so-called stardelta starting and running connections. This switch is mounted in a box or casing 9 and is operated from a handle 10 pivoted in the side wall of the box at 11.

' The operating connections from the switch lever to the movable switch element consist in the present disclosure of a rod 12 connected with the hub portion of the handle and having a laterall7 extending arm 1Q overlying the cross bar 13 which connects the switch blades, and working' p loosely in openings la provided in the yoke shaped brackets 15 secured to said cross bar. This, it will be seen. provides a lost motion connection between the switch operatinghandle and the movable switch element.

The quick break movements are effected in the present illustration by two spiral springs 16, 17 disposed at opposite sides of the= movable switch element connected to opposite sides of the cross bar 13 and secured at their opposite ends to suitable abutments such as the brackets 18 secured on the inner wall of the casing, these springs, as will be clear from F l. and 2, having a centralizing effect upon the -movable switch element tending to hold it in the intermediate circuit-opcn position.

l/Vhen the switch handle is rocked in one direction or the other from the intermediatn position shown, one of the quick break springs will be placed under tension and the other spring will be relaxed andv either partially or wholly freed from tension, as indicated in Fig. 3. The spring for effecting the. quick break of the switch is thus 'put under tension and the other or idle spring is freed frommtension so as not to interfere with the action of the circuit interrupting spring. Them therefore, the handle is operated to open the circuit, after the switch blades have moved far enough for the tension of the quick break spring to overcome the tension of the frictional engagement of the switch clips with the switch blades, said throwing spring will snap the switch blades from engagement with the relatively stationary contacts, the snapping movement ofv the blades being permitted irrespective of the hold on the handle because of 'the lost motion connections. This quick break movement obviously will be secured upon the movement of the switch in either direction.

A positive quick break is thus assured in a double-throw switch by means of my invention, and furthermore, a force is provided tending to maintain the switch in the intermediate neutral condition. Another eifect of the double-throw spring construction is that while a quick opening movement of the movable switch element is effected, this movement is checked by the tensioning of the relaxed spring before the movable switch element can move far enough to dangerously approach the opposite set of stationary contacts. This tensioning of the relaxed spring lalso by checking the movement of the switch element, serves to cushion and prevent shock and jar in the operation of the switch. I claim: f

1. A quick breakv double-throw switch comprising stationary` switch contacts, a pivoted switch member positioned to rock from an intermediate neutral position in opposite directions into engagement with said contacts, a pivoted operating member Jfor swinging said switch member in opposite directions, a yoke-shaped bracket carried by one of said members and having an opening loosely receiving the other member to thereby provide a lost motion connection between the operating member and pivoted switch member and springs anchoredrelatively stationa-ry at their outer ends and connected at their inner ends with the movable switch member to therebyl normally hold said switch member and through the lost motion connection, the operating member also, in

contacts, an insulating cross bar connecting v the switch blades, a pivoted rocker arm for swinging the switch blades in opposite directions, a yoke-shaped bracket mounted on the crossbar and having an opening loosely receiving the rocker arm to provide a lost motion connectionv between the rocker arm and pivoted switch blades and springs at opposite sides of the cross bar fastened relatively stationary at their outer ends and connected with the cross bar at their inner ends to thereby normally hold the switch blades and through the lost motion connections, the rocker arm also, in an intermediate neutral position.

ALEXANDER K. SUTHERLAND. 

